Motoring Discussion > Found a solution to clean a windscreen.	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Old Navy	Replies: 27

Sat 23 Oct 10 15:32   Found a solution to clean a windscreen. - Old Navy

Having tried many windscreen cleaners, polishes, old wives remedies, and urban myth fixes, I tried a solution of decorators sugar soap to degrease and clean my windscreen. What a result! Crystal clean and degreased in seconds, one worth trying. Last edited by: VxFan on Sat 23 Oct 10 at 21:09 Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 23 Oct 10 15:36   Found a solution. - Ian (Cape Town)

Thanks. will give it a try. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 23 Oct 10 15:47   Found a solution. - Perky Penguin

Have you tried it/does it work on the interior as well and what happened to scrumpled up newspaper and vinegar? Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 23 Oct 10 15:51   Found a solution. - Ian (Cape Town)

>> scrumpled up newspaper and vinegar? >> Only if you have chips in the windscreen. Reply to this message | Report message       2

Sat 23 Oct 10 15:52   Found a solution. - Old Navy

Not tried it on the inside yet, but would expect a similar result. Don't know what was on my windscreen and wipers but vinegar would not shift it. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 23 Oct 10 16:03   Found a solution. - L'escargot

I'm still looking for a solution to removing the handprints (which are seemingly etched into the surface) which appear on the inside of my windscreen when it starts to mist up. It's a replacement screen and I can only assume that the fitter had very corrosive perspiration. I've tried every screen cleaning product I can find, but to no avail. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 23 Oct 10 16:09   Found a solution. - Perky Penguin

Even Autoglym cream window cleaner - at a price??!! Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 23 Oct 10 16:15   Found a solution. - L'escargot

>> Even Autoglym cream window cleaner - at a price??!! >> I've tried Autoglym "Car Glass Polish". Is that what you mean? Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 23 Oct 10 17:30   Found a solution. - Perky Penguin

Yes - I haven't seen the bottle for years! BTW, anybody thinking of a powered polishing kit make sure you do not use anything more abrasive than jeweller's rouge, on glass. You could finsh up with no grease on it but a load of fine circular scatches Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 24 Oct 10 19:30   Found a solution. - Stuartli

>>I've tried Autoglym "Car Glass Polish". Is that what you mean?>> That's the one I've used for many years (different name used now as presumably the formula has been changed); it's pale green in colour and very effective. Managed to find a bottle of it recently at a small car parts outlet. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 23 Oct 10 16:11   Found a solution. - Skoda

Mr Snail if it's that persistent it might be worth a punt on a 2nd hand glass polishing kit (~£15 delivered). The type that has a mop head for your drill & aggressive cutting paste. Might be onto plums though, that kit isn't as fast as you'd expect on perspex lens covers, although it does eventually work, genuinely "as new" results. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 23 Oct 10 19:05   Found a solution. - Old Navy

I have now given the inside of my car windows a wipe with a mild sugar soap solution and bearing in mind that it is a relatively new, non smokers car it made a remarkable difference. Particularly to the windscreen and back window. Last edited by: Old Navy on Sat 23 Oct 10 at 19:06 Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 23 Oct 10 19:38   Found a solution. - MD

My gut feeling is that sugar soap would be too abrasive, however I am eager to learn as the Jimny screen cannot be cleaned by wipers and water and I never experienced this. M. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 23 Oct 10 20:08   Found a solution. - henry k

>> My gut feeling is that sugar soap would be too abrasive, however I am eager >> to learn >> I have a Mangers sugar soap solution that came in a clear spray bottle. I have had it probably longer than a year. so no bits in it like the traditional stuff. No idea if it is still available. Sorry no link to their site as virus alarms went off when I tried it Now I have that problem to check out . Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 23 Oct 10 20:15   Found a solution. - Old Navy

I use a concentrated liquid that I bought in B&Q. (Well diluted). Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 24 Oct 10 15:47   Found a solution. - -

For a long time now i've avoided using the normal car wash wax solution on the screen and wipers, instead i keep a strong mix of Lidl's 1:100 screen wash solution (not screen anti freeze mix) in a bucket and wash the screen and blades with that, it works. Never get that horrid streaking any more, the glass is spotlessly clean as are the blades which last for years. I mentioned this somewhere else and got some leg pulling for it but it works:)...when you leave your car after using the blades flip them over the other way every now and again so they are 'parked' against their normal lean, helps to eliminate non flipover judder, trucks suffer badly with this with many operators of the opinion blades last the life of the vehicle. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 24 Oct 10 15:52   Found a solution. - Perky Penguin

Good for inside surfaces too GB? I have much more trouble with smeary marks and smoke like haze on the screen, in a non-smokers car. Screen wipes still leave smears and an E cloth doesn't get it all off. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 24 Oct 10 16:06   Found a solution. - -

Never tried it on the inside PP, but i will following your post, thanks....it is meant to be added to your screen wash solution and does a good job in that role. I carry an old spray bottle with some clean water mixed with a few drops of washing up liquid for normal vehicle window cleaning for my work, quite why i never twigged trying the Lidl's stuff instead is one of those slap me head why didn't i think of that moments. Never found normal shop/factor bought screen cleaning agents much good, they seem to attract a sort of film overnight where home brew stuff seems to get them proper dry clean. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 24 Oct 10 19:10   Found a solution. - Alastairw

I agree with the flipping over of parked wipers, GB. My car does the flipping over for me, every so often. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 24 Oct 10 19:25   Found a solution. - Oldgit

>> I agree with the flipping over of parked wipers, GB. My car does the flipping >> over for me, every so often. >> My Golf MK6 apparently has a system whereby the parked blades alter position to avoid wiper blade fatigue (as I call it) and will alter their parked position subtlely. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 24 Oct 10 19:34   Found a solution. - -

Clever things these modern cars with their ability to change wiper park position. I wonder how they will cope as the mechanism wears, i use 1 truck mostly at work both wipers park on the downwards slope so simple to flip both over, an identical sister truck parks with the n/s wiper's upward sweep already started so i have to flip the n/s down and the o/s up or is it the other way?...a girls work is never done. I try to flip them up as they park on those days of light drizzle but sometimes end up with them 6" up the screen before the flip occurs. I can't believe i've just typed 3 sentences (now 4) on the subject of flipping over wiper blades.;) Last edited by: gordonbennet on Sun 24 Oct 10 at 19:35 Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 24 Oct 10 19:37   Found a solution. - Skoda

>> My Golf MK6 apparently has a system whereby the parked blades alter position Aye, you've both got the same car wearing different dresses. Although Alastair edges it in the dept. of good taste :-P ... hopefully Alastair drives a Skoda Octavia and my memory is not proven crap yet again... :-) Last edited by: Skoda on Sun 24 Oct 10 at 19:37 Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 24 Oct 10 22:20   Found a solution. - Alastairw

Correct, Skoda. My Aunt ascribes the fact she forgot my sons birthday to 'holes in her memory'. I think I'm avoiding them at the moment, but fermented grapes may be causing some I don't yet know about.... Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 08:16   Found a solution - T-Cut - Hard Cheese

Vinegar on kitchen roll is good, keeping a couple of sachets of vinegar in the car is a good idea however the ultimate solution to removing waxy. oily residues is ... ... T-Cut! Yes simply T-Cut your screen and wash off with soapy water, that is washing up liquid, not car shampoo, the latter simply deposits more waxy residues. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 11:15   Found a solution - T-Cut - Stuartli

>>..not car shampoo, the latter simply deposits more waxy residues.>> I presume you mean the wash 'n wax type? It's for this very reason that I buy straightforward car shampoo as it eliminates the annoying smearing of wash 'n wax types when you use the windscreen wipers. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 11:40   Found a solution - T-Cut - Stuartli

PS Currently using ArmourAll Car wash - around £3.99 for a litre. I use it to wash the car just before it rains. The rain does the rinsing and the result is a streak free finish, which is a boon as I live in an area with a (now only moderate) hard water supply. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 12:19   Found a solution. - Bill Payer

>> My gut feeling is that sugar soap would be too abrasive, ...I bought some the other day (for decorating purposes) and was bemused that the label says in bold lettering "does not contain sugar"! Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 12:43   Found a solution. - NortonES2

I wondered what was in it: tinyurl.com/29trhcp Apparently rather alkaline, with pH of 12 so some drawbacks. Will try inside windows: dog slobber and other difficult to remove stuff, maybe plasticiser emanations. Reply to this message | Report message